In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as "Diamond Ray". The present variety was hybridized by us in 1986, and the resulting seedling was planted in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). Specifically, the hybridized seedling was originated by using Red Diamond (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,165) as the selected seed parent and an unnamed seedling as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects.
The present variety most nearly resembles the Summer Bright (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,049) by producing fruit that is full red in skin color, sweet and flavorful in taste, clingstone in type, and extremely firm in texture, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by producing fruit that ripens approximately twelve days earlier and has substantially less red streaking in the flesh.
The present variety is similar to its selected seed parent, Red Diamond (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,165), in fruit appearance by being a full red colored nectarine with excellent firmness, but is distinguished therefrom by ripening seven days later and by being a clingstone instead of a freestone.